Come to the Paint Creek Heritage Area – Wet Prairie this weekend to help with natural areas stewardship! This park along the Paint Creek Trail has a rich variety of plant species in a unique prairie area. We will stroll through the prairie to learn a little bit about its history and the plants growing in it. We will then be pulling spotted knapweed in the prairie and cutting invasive woody shrubs from nearby areas to keep them from crowding out the sun-loving prairie plants. We may also collect some seeds if they are ready for harvesting.

• Where: Paint Creek Heritage Area – Wet Prairie. Meet in the parking lot at Silverbell Road along the Paint Creek Trail. If the parking lot full, you can park at the Paint Creek Cider Mill and walk south 5 minutes on the trail to the prairie area. Remember that the bridge on Orion Road between Snell Rd and Collins Rd is closed.

• When: Saturday, July 26 from 9 am – noon. In the event of thunderstorms, the event will be cancelled.
• Who: Anyone! This event is free, with no experience necessary. We’ll train you to do the work. Most tasks are relaxing and do not require an Olympic athlete.
• Why: Why not? We will be remove non-native invasive shrubs and preparing an area for planting native plants. Come out on Saturday to enjoy beautiful areas and hang out with great people! And food after we finish working!
• What: Bring water and gloves, and wear closed-toed shoes and long pants. We’ll have extra water and a few gloves if you can’t bring your own.

We will have light snacks and water available. You will need to sign a release form before we begin working. Families are encouraged to attend! All minors will need permission from a parent or guardian to participate, and minors under 14 will need to have a parent or guardian present. We will have lots of fun, so plan to come and share this opportunity with others! The schedule of upcoming workdays can be found at the Volunteer Calendar.